Alana, this report is perfectly pitched for the Hotnewz.tv audience. A national trend, localized to your campus – thank you!

Right from the start – the pull from the tray to your standup grabs attention. You and your videographer, Justin DePrekel, should pat each other on the back for that idea – and the execution. And, he positions you to catch the great lighting in the cafeteria.

Also loved that your student interview is conducted with the student sitting at the table. A suggestion, though: in a piece where student opinion is everything – it would have been nice to hear from more students. In the same amount of time (that’s a longish soundbite with Matthew, the student) you could have presented two or three peers. In your close you mention that “everyone on campus seems to be adjusting well…” – that’s a rather sweeping statement, especially when you only show us one student soundbite as evidence.

And there’s a missed opportunity here: why no scenes of students balancing plates? Matthew talks about that challenge – I’d sure like to see it! (Perhaps with ballet music?)

Also, I’ve read that there’s actually a health benefit to the trayless trend. Your interview with the Assistant Manager touches on the fact that there’s less food waste. That also means students are not overstuffing their trays with food that looks good but is more than they need.

What I’m getting at here, is your good piece could have been even better if you went a little deeper. And while I’m being a pain, I’ll point out that the line “Campus Dining plans to add even more environmentally safe products to their operations…” doesn’t quite make sense when what has been done so far is not an addition, but a subtraction.

Overall, however, this report would fit in nicely in any small-to-medium market local news operation. You provide the who-what-where-and-why, you present the information clearly, the camera work is great and you look good, speak clearly and use the location well for your open and close.

In short, you “serve up” a tasty report on a timely topic. We’re giving you a score of 138 out of 168 – 82%. This is a good one for that reel you put together when applying for your first job in television news. In fact, even before you graduate you might send it to nearby news directors and ask for an interview, so they have you in mind for future openings. Try two of my Michigan alma maters: WWTV in Cadillac, and WZZM in Grand Rapids, and Good Luck!

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